Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
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Category: life extension

In a world without ageing, our idea of family will likely change—for the better.

So it would, and I’m looking forward to it.

As things stand, this is what happens to a human family in a nutshell. Two people start dating. If things go well, they may want to live together and have kids. The kids grow up and do the same, eventually, and the original parents become grandparents, generally around the time they start being elderly. Unfortunately, this means they are less and less able to take care of themselves (let alone their grandchildren), and thus are more of a burden than a helping hand. (Talk to people who are around 60 and have kids, and you’ll find out their worst concern is being a burden to their families the moment they’re no longer able to take care of themselves.)

Grandparents eventually die. Repeat the process for enough generations, and eventually the members of the original family will all have died—the family is dismantled. Maybe other families originated from it, but it is irrelevant. The people are what matters to us, not their genes. Genes will be passed on, but all the people in the process will die, and become just a carrier for the genes. Looks like we really should have read the fine print before signing up for life, eh?

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A popular science article discussing the imminent arrival of senescent cell removing therapies.

Imagine a world where you could take just a single pill for the treatment or prevention of several age-related diseases. Although still in the realms of science fiction, accumulating scientific data now suggests that despite their biological differences a variety of these diseases share a common cause: senescent cells. This has led scientists to find drugs that can destroy these cells.

When cells become damaged, they either self-destruct (apoptosis) or they lose their ability to grow and remain stuck within the body. These are the non-growing senescent cells that no longer carry out their tasks properly. They spew out chemicals that cause damage to cells nearby, sometimes turning them into “zombies” – hence why they are sometimes referred to as “zombie cells”. Eventually, the damage builds up so much that the function of bodily organs and tissues, such as skin and muscle, becomes impaired. At this point, we identify the changes as disease.

Depending on where these senescent cells gather within the body will determine which disease will develop. Senescent cells have now been shown to be linked to several diseases, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis and cancer.

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A nice long feature on #transhumanism in The Irish Times, one of Ireland’s largest papers. It focuses on the book To Be A Machine: http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/who-wants-to-live-forever-transhumanism-s-promise-of-eternal-life-1.3010223 Separately, The New York Times ran a rather somber view of a few transhumanism books, two of the books (The Body Builders & To Be a Machine) which I’m quoted in: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/16/books/review/gene-machine-bonnie-rochman.html?_r=0

Mark O’Connell has spent several years talking to people who want to live through robots and technology, and he admits it stems from his own obsession with death.

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And today a clear lesson in why jumping the gun and not using appropriate engineering safety in regenerative medicine is reckless and dangerous. The steady and scientific path is always the best way when health is on the line. The current system needs streamlining for sure and projects like Lifespan.io are helping to create a progressive environment but ensuring appropriate safety is observed. We must be careful in healthcare and this story reminds us why.

Three women suffered severe eye damage at a Florida clinic, exposing gaps in protections for people seeking unproven treatments.

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Futurist event Moogfest’s line-up in these stories, including a cover pic of the transhumanist Immortality Bus on Cool Hunting:

http://www.coolhunting.com/culture/moogfest-2017 &

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/michael-stipe-premiering-first-ever-solo-music-at-moogfest/ & https://thump.vice.com/en_ca/article/moogfest-keynote-speakers-announcement #futurist

Physicist Dr Kate Shaw, MIT Media Lab’s Joe Davis and an art installation from Michael Stipe take the stage at this year’s boundary-pushing celebration of technology by Karen Day.

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Coffee turns up some interesting properties and it isnt the caffeine in that is the star of the show.

Could coffee be a geroprotector?

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Many people like to start the day with a hot cup of coffee to help get their motor running, but there could be more to this popular beverage than meets the eye. Nothing quite like the taste of hot fresh coffee and it is no surprise it has been the drink of choice in many cultures for centuries. Coffee has also long been associated with having geroprotective properties, meaning it is a substance that protects against the aging process.

A number of epidemiologic studies suggest that drinking coffee can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Based on the cardiovascular risk factors, aging and dementia studies, the consumption of 3–5 cups of coffee a day is associated with a reduced risk for Alzheimer’s in later life. Some studies have suggested the reason coffee is beneficial is due to caffeine and its antioxidant properties, however a study in 2015 found there was no significant difference between caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee so something else other than caffeine must be responsible for its protective properties.

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